Beneath the Mistletoe
by sunrow
Summary: Stucky AU - Bucky had a bet with his sister that if he didn't bring a boyfriend home for Christmas by the time he was 25, he had to give her 200 dollars and go blonde for a year. But now he's 25, it's almost December, Bucky's as single as ever, and he's running low on cash. Well, at least Steve is willing to upgrade their relationship from best friends to fake boyfriends.
1. The Plan

_A/N: I actually wrote this for Christmas last year and posted it on Ao3. It was moderately successful there, so I decided to post it here as well! It's a modern AU with the fake/pretend relationship trope. No angst or pining, just two idiots who're in love but don't even know it. **There will be smut!**_ _It's basically just a really fluffy fic with a few smut scenes thrown in. Rated T for now, when I get to the chapters with smut, the rating will go up._

 _Cover image credit goes to whoever did the manip!_

 _There are 9 chapters in total, and I'll be posting them once a week :) Enjoy!_

* * *

 **1\. The Plan**

It was Halloween night and Bucky was at Sam's party when he received the text from his sister, his drunk fingers fumbling to unlock his phone and read it. Then he realized he couldn't actually use his touch screen while wearing gloves. He cursed, using his teeth to pull them off, all the while wondering why he decided to wear gloves with his vampire costume in the first place.

Oh yeah, because Natasha had told him they made the outfit look _sexy_ and _sophisticated_. He snorted, reading the text now that it was open.

 **Becca (11:43pm):** _Just a reminder that you only have a month or so to find yourself a boyfriend, or you'll owe me $$$ and the honor of bleaching your hair_

There was a string of emojis at the end of the text that Bucky rolled his eyes at, while he quickly thumbed in his reply without really thinking about what he was saying. They say that drunk people can't help but tell the truth, except for Bucky, who tended to do the opposite.

 **Bucky (11:44pm):** _ur out of luck iv already got one_

He definitely didn't have a boyfriend, not since the guy he dated for a few weeks during the summer turned out to be a complete tool. Maybe if Bucky wasn't so drunk, he'd have thought out his answer a bit more. He certainly wouldn't have told Rebecca that he already had a boyfriend. Honestly, he didn't know why he said that in the first place, but he tended to bullshit a lot when he was drinking, and didn't really care at the moment either. He was drunk and happy and simply wanted to find that cute blonde guy dressed as an elf he'd been making out with earlier.

Hey, maybe they'd start dating and he'd take him home for Christmas to meet the family.

But it was Bucky who was out of luck, not Rebecca.

The cute blonde guy was leaving the party early with someone else, which left Bucky feeling sour at the missed opportunity. Then he figured he probably shouldn't meet a potential boyfriend to bring home to his family at a party anyway, and decided to go drink some more. He pushed all thoughts of the bet to the back of his mind, heading over to where Steve, Clint, and Natasha were starting to do some jello shots, and joined in.

It wasn't until he was nursing a hangover the next day that he started to panic.

Bucky had been going through his social media accounts for evidence of what happened the night before. His snapchat story featured way too many shaky videos of his friends doing shots, playing beer pong, and drunkenly acting as whatever they'd dressed up as. There were two pictures on his instagram: the first of him and Sam, with a poorly spelled party shoutout, and the second was of him and Steve, arms wrapped around each other's shoulders and cheesy grins on their faces. The caption on the picture was just a bunch of thumbs up emojis.

He didn't bother deleting the pics, instead just fixing the spelling on the Sam one, before exiting the app and saving what was usually the worst for last. He went into his texts, breathing out a sigh of relief when he saw that Rebecca was the only person he messaged. He didn't remember it though, and went to see what he wrote.

"Oh, fuck," Bucky groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "Shit."

Because he didn't have a boyfriend, Rebecca was right - he'd only have a month to find a guy that'd be willing to meet his family so soon. And there was the possibility that he'd need to convince the guy to pretend that they'd been together for longer than they actually were. Would anyone actually be willing to do that? Maybe he could bribe them somehow.

Bucky groaned again, rolling out of his bed and stumbling towards to kitchen. Steve was already there, slumped at the table with a coffee and looking every bit as hungover as Bucky.

"Coffee should still be warm," he mumbled, pointing at the pot on the bench.

Thanks." Bucky grabbed a mug and poured himself a cup, sitting down across from Steve when he was done. "I feel like death."

"Ugh, me too." Steve nodded, then winced at what the movement must've done to his headache.

Bucky grimaced sympathetically. "I barely remember anything from last night."

"Neither," Steve agreed. "Not even the pic you tagged me in on instagram."

"I don't even remember posting it. But you know what else I don't remember?"

"What?"

"Telling Becca I had a boyfriend so I could win a bet we made when I was 20."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "You're single."

"Yep," Bucky sipped at his coffee. "And if I lose, I'll owe her $200 and will have to go blonde for a year."

"A year?" Steve raised both his eyebrows now, eyeing Bucky's dark brown hair.

"I tried talking her down to a few months, but she wouldn't budge."

"So what was the bet, anyway?" Steve asked after a moment. "And why?"

Bucky sighed. "Ever since I moved out, mom and dad would always pester me about my love life every time I visited. They kept saying they wanted me to bring someone home for the holidays, but I never have. When I was 20, Becca said that if I didn't have a boyfriend to bring home by the time I was 25, I had to give her $200 and let her bleach my hair and keep it that way until the next Christmas."

"I can understand the money part," Steve started, staring into his coffee with his brows drawn together in confusion. "But why the blonde thing?"

Bucky grinned at that. "Because she went blonde when she was 15, and it looked so bad it was hilarious. She told me she'd get back at me for laughing one day, and a year later the bet was made."

"What happens if she loses?"

"The same thing for her, but at least I know she definitely doesn't suit blonde hair."

"Well, you we can't let her win, then." Steve grinned.

"Nope," Bucky replied, popping the 'p'. His phone beeped with a message from Rebecca, and Bucky rolled his eyes when he read it. "She wants to know who my boyfriend is."

"What're you gonna tell her?"

Bucky smirked at his best friend. "Just that it's a surprise."

* * *

Towards the end of November, Bucky was not only running low on cash after all of the Christmas shopping he'd been doing, but he was also just as single as he was a month ago. Steve had been trying to help set him up with potential boyfriends, but every failed date just reminded Bucky of why he hadn't actually brought anyone home for Christmas yet. He was good at casual. One night stands were his specialty, he had the numbers of a few guys in his phone who he knew he could hit up every now and again, and he tended to not date people for more than a few months at a time.

Bucky was a flirt, and a good one at that, but nobody he dated ever really held his interest enough for it to get serious. Honestly, the only constants in his life were Steve, Sam, Natasha, and Clint. He'd been fine with that, but obviously it needed to change if he didn't want to be short $200. And if his shifts at the cafe where he worked kept going to the holiday casuals, he wouldn't even have that money in the first place.

"How was last night's date?" Steve asked when he got home from work that evening, plopping himself on the couch next to Bucky.

"Horrible," Bucky sighed. "The guy insisted on having the date at some seedy bar, then he kept checking out the bartender all night."

"What a jerk. Sorry, I thought he seemed nice. And interested."

"Nah, not your fault." Bucky shrugged him off. Steve couldn't have known the guy would be like that. "But as if that wasn't bad enough, Becca keeps asking me who my boyfriend is, and I've been using the 'it's a surprise' excuse to death."

As if on cue, his phone beeped with a message from his sister.

"Speak of the devil," Steve laughed. "What does it say?"

 **Becca (6:07pm):** _Is Steve your secret boyfriend?_

Bucky raised his eyebrows, and showed Steve the message, who laughed again.

"Why would she think we're together?"

"I don't know, but we're about to find out."

 **Bucky (6:07pm):** _What makes you think he is?_

Her answer didn't come through immediately, but when it did, they weren't expecting the wall of text.

 **Becca (6:11pm):** _You've only posted 4 photos on insta in the last month, and Steve is in 3 of them. There's the one of Steve playing with Clint's dog, the Halloween one of you both the night you told me you already had a boyfriend, and you posted one of you both last week to celebrate some Harry Potter marathon. Nerds. Not to mention he's always on your snapchat story. I know he's your bff and you guys live together already, so of course he's gonna feature in your pics and shit, but if I'm wrong about Steve then your actual boyfriend must be pretty jealous of him anyway. That and you're pretty good at hiding him._

Maybe Bucky was good at hiding his boyfriend because he didn't actually have one, but telling her that was out of the question, obviously. But she did have a point. Even though he loved all his friends, Steve was the one he was closest to and spent the most time with. They'd only known each other since they were 18 when they met at college, after he'd already known Nat and Clint for years, but they'd instantly become friends and been basically inseparable ever since.

Bucky stared at the text, unsure of how to respond to it, then let out a long groan. "I don't know what to say. Help me."

"Well you've got two options," Steve said. "Keep up with the ruse of having some secret boyfriend and hope you can find one in time. Or you can tell her she's right and that you've been dating me all along."

"You'd be okay with that?" Bucky asked skeptically, wondering if Steve knew exactly what he was offering.

"Yeah, of course." He shrugged. "She already thinks we're dating, so it wouldn't be hard to convince her she's right."

"You realize that you'd have to spend a whole week during Christmas with my family, right? Because that's how long we're gonna be there."

"I've met your family already, Buck, they're not that terrible. A week is nothing."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "But you'd have to pretend we're in a relationship in front of my _mom_ , Steve. Can you really do that to her?"

"It'd be fun. What she doesn't know can't hurt her." Steve shrugged again. "I'm serious. I don't mind doing this. You're most likely not going to find a boyfriend before Christmas, and I don't particularly want my best friend to have bright yellow hair from a shoddy bleach job."

"You're absolutely sure about this?" Bucky asked earnestly, electing to ignore the fact Steve basically just insulted him because he knew it was the truth.

Steve put his hands on Bucky's shoulders. "I am. I'm completely, 100% sure about this."

"I'd prefer 110%, but okay." Bucky slowly smirked. "Steven Grant Rogers, will you be my fake boyfriend?"

"James Buchanan Barnes, I'd be honored." Steve smirked right back.

"Well, now that that's settled, I've gotta break the news to Becca." Bucky stared down at his phone, before looking back up at Steve. "What the fuck do I say?"

Steve grabbed the phone, opened the camera, and pulled Bucky against his side. "Just let a picture do the talking."

Bucky grinned widely, the same smile he did in the photo with Steve from Halloween, and Steve kissed his cheek as he took the photo. They sent it to Rebecca, who instantly replied with _"I knew it!"_ and several heart-eyes emojis. Well, at least they knew she approved.

* * *

For the next few weeks, Bucky and Steve found that pretending to be boyfriends simply for Rebecca's sake was quite easy. Their social media patterns didn't change, with Bucky only needing to snap random pics of him and Steve to her every so often, usually while they were already doing something together. They'd told their friends of what was going on just as a precaution, but also because they knew they'd find the whole situation hilarious.

Which they did, and couldn't stop teasing them about, but Steve and Bucky didn't mind.

Leading up to the week with Bucky's family, they were determined to get their facts straight. It was decided they would pretend they'd been dating each other since August after Bucky ended it with that guy he'd been seeing, growing romantic feelings for each other while Steve comforted him, but decided to keep it casual at first in case it didn't work out. In October, when it seemed to be going well, they told their friends, but didn't want to involve family yet. Now that they'd been together for a few months, they thought it was time they knew. But they didn't intend on telling Bucky's parents just yet. He'd made Rebecca swear not to tell them who his boyfriend was, instead wanting it to be a surprise.

He couldn't wait to see the shock on their faces when he brought Steve home to them.

Winifred and George loved Steve. They first met him at Bucky's 21st, and it wasn't long before they were instantly smitten. They adored Steve, always going on about how he was such a nice boy and how they were glad Bucky had a good influence in his life (they'd never quite forgiven Clint for streaking through their backyard when he was seventeen). But they didn't know how much of a little shit Steve could be. He had to be, if he agreed to bullshit Bucky's parents into thinking he was dating their son.

"How loved up should we be?" Bucky asked after they'd gone over their story for the hundredth time, the night before they were due to leave. "We've only been together for, what? Four months? But we were best friends before that, and seeing as this 'relationship' is going well now, we might be moving along faster than a normal couple."

Steve thought about it for a moment. "We could act like we're in love, but not at the point where we've actually told each other yet."

"Yeah, that's good. They'd believe that if they asked."

"What about PDA?" Steve asked now. "I know you're pretty hands-on with guys you're dating, and I guess I am too, but would your family be expecting that?"

"They would," Bucky nodded, thinking about his high school boyfriends. "Mom and dad were really supportive after I came out, so I didn't feel like I needed to hold myself back when I was around them. We'll have to share a bed in the spare room, and expect lots of hand-holding, cuddling, and lots of kisses."

"Making out?"

"Maybe, just to be safe." Bucky laughed, thinking about all the times his mom's habit of never knocking made her walk in on him sucking face with his first boyfriend. She'd eventually learned her lesson, but still forgot sometimes.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "You know how you see two people kiss, and you can tell it's their first time?"

"Kind of, I guess."

"Do you think that'll happen to us?" Steve questioned. "Because what if you're a horrible kisser and I make a face or something and then they know we'd never actually kissed before?"

"I'm a wonderful kisser, thank you very much." Bucky pouted, before an idea popped into his head. "In fact, I'll prove it to you right now."

Before Steve could react, Bucky grabbed his face and kissed him. He didn't mean for it to be any longer than a few seconds, but when Steve's hands settled on Bucky's waist and he began kissing him back, he couldn't help but deepen it. And oh God, it was good. Their lips moved together perfectly for a few moments before it ended too soon.

Steve had a little too much color in his cheeks, but he shot Bucky a dazzling smile anyway. "You're right, you _are_ a wonderful kisser."

"Not so bad yourself," Bucky replied, removing his hand from Steve's face while Steve took his from Bucky's waist. "Seriously though, that was great. Why haven't we ever kissed before?"

"No idea." Steve laughed, resting back against the couch they were sitting on.

"Like, as far as I know, we haven't even kissed when we were drunk. We've been missing out." He turned to Steve and slowly grinned. "This week is gonna be great."

"It is," Steve agreed. "Have you finished packing?"

"Mostly. You?"

"Yeah. Wanna go over our story one more time?"

"Sure."

So they did, as if they didn't already know it well enough. Dating for four months. Their friends had known for half that time. They hadn't said the L-word yet. It was basic stuff, not hard to forget, even if they were to get nervous or feel under pressure.

* * *

 _A/N: I hope you all like it so far! If you did, let me know :) Like I said, next chapter out in a week!_


	2. The Family

_A/N: Chapter 2 is here, enjoy!_

* * *

 **2\. The Family**

Despite only visiting them a few times a year for birthdays and Christmas, Bucky's family lived relatively close in the Bronx. But Bucky didn't have a car, and wasn't particularly fond of the 1.5 hour subway ride, nor did Steve have a car he could borrow. At least Rebecca, who _did_ have a car, offered to come down to Brooklyn and pick them both up, turning a long subway ride into a slightly shorter one hour drive.

She still lived at home, having decided that she would rather buy a car and spend 30 minutes driving to college every day, rather than live on campus or in a share house. Bucky had offered for her to live with him and Steve, but she'd given him a firm, "Thanks, but no thanks." He was secretly glad, to be perfectly honest, as he didn't particularly want to live with his little sister after he'd already gotten a taste of freedom away from his family. He loved her and all, but she could also be incredibly annoying.

"You guys ready to go soon?" Rebecca asked once she'd gotten there, making herself at home by sprawling out on the couch and reading one of Steve's many coffee table books. All about art and design, of course. "Ma wants us there in time for lunch. She's making pulled pork sandwiches."

"Slow cooked?"

"Since last night," Rebecca grinned.

Bucky was suddenly very, very hungry. "Okay, yeah, I just gotta make sure I've got everything, then I'm good to go."

He disappeared into his bedroom, leaving Steve alone with Rebecca.

"Mom and dad are super excited to meet you, just so you know." She told him. "Don't worry, I haven't spoiled the surprise. They have no idea who you are, but they're gonna be real happy with it when they find out, though, I can tell you that."

"Bucky said the same," Steve laughed, shaking his head. He nudged his foot against the bag at his feet. "I'm ready when he is, by the way. If anyone's gonna hold us up, it's him."

"Always is."

"I can hear you two," Bucky huffed, lugging a large overnight bag over his shoulder. He'd wanted to take a suitcase, but Steve reassured him that it was only a week, and his parents had a washing machine if he got desperate. He grabbed Steve's hand as he went passed, tugging him towards the door. "C'mon sis, we don't wanna be late."

Steve and Bucky loaded their minimal luggage into the trunk, then both hopped into the backseat. They'd decided this beforehand, as it gave them a better chance to turn on the PDA in front of Rebecca. There were about to spend an hour in the car with her, so what better chance did they have?

"What am I, your chauffeur?" Rebecca pulled a face at them, but started driving anyway.

Bucky leaned over to rest his head against Steve's shoulder. "I'm in better company back here. Sorry sis."

"Whatever."

Steve leaned down to drop a kiss to Bucky's forehead, and when he saw Rebecca roll her eyes in the rear-view mirror, he sent Bucky a triumphant grin. They got comfortable, relaxing into each other when Becca turned on the radio to some station playing classic rock. Both were secretly glad that she didn't seem to be asking any questions about their relationship, preferring to get it out of the way when Bucky's parents were present, but at the same time they couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't discussing it. Rebecca was curious by nature, and would often stick her nose into other people's business.

"She's too quiet," Bucky whispered in Steve's ear, nuzzling into his neck as the radio muffled his words. "Kiss me. Let's see if we can get a rise out of her."

Steve didn't bother replying, instead bringing his hand up to cup Bucky's jaw as he turned his face and kissed him slowly. Bucky hummed against Steve's lips, shifting as close as his seat belt would allow so he could deepen it, his hand sliding up Steve's side and over his shoulder to settle around his neck. It was only their second kiss, but they enjoyed it just the same. It wasn't heated at all, but slow and languid, sending the message that they were content just as they were. Which was true. Bucky was glad Steve had not only thought of the whole pretend dating idea, but also that he was okay with it, because Bucky was definitely looking forward to more kisses like this over the next week.

"Ew, can you two not swap spit in my car?" Rebecca whined, pulling a face at them in the mirror.

With one last kiss, Bucky broke away from Steve with a grin. He snuggled back into his side again, feeling just as content as the kiss had been. Honestly, this was the easiest act. It required almost no effort from him whatsoever.

"I'm lookin' forward to getting my $200," Bucky said casually, holding back from laughing when Rebecca's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "And to seeing you blonde again. You got the bleach?"

"I do, but I was hoping I'd get to use it on you." She admitted.

Steve didn't bother holding in his laughter. "Sorry, but there won't be a blonde Bucky this Christmas. Or ever."

"You really don't think I'd suit being blonde, do you?"

"I may or may not have photoshopped a picture of you to see what it'd look like."

"And...?"

"Not too bad." He gave Bucky a wry smile. "But trust me, you're better off staying brunette."

"Good to know."

In an attempt to make sure they didn't start making out again, Rebecca made idle chit chat about college, her friends, and got into a lengthy discussion about which bars or clubs she loved and which she hated ever since she turned 21 in May. Then Bucky teased her about how drunk she got at her party, even though it was definitely _not_ her first time drinking, and reminded her that she threw up in a pot plant.

In retaliation, she told Steve about the time when he was sixteen and Natasha had brought over a bottle of Russian vodka she'd stolen from her parents, and then proceeded to get twelve-year-old Rebecca tipsy. In Bucky's defence, he said he only gave her one cup mixed with lemonade, and that he put her straight to bed once he realized that a single cup was too much. And then once she was asleep, Clint came over with some weed and they both greened out while Natasha made fun of them.

The stories made Steve wish he'd met Bucky when they were kids or teenagers, so he could've experienced all of this with him. They'd both grown up in Brooklyn, but in different neighborhoods that were far enough away that they'd never actually crossed paths until college. But hey, he was just glad he got to spend the last seven years of his life with Bucky as his best friend.

Because of bad traffic, it took them just a little over an hour to finally each the Barnes home in North Riverdale. Bucky was forever struck by how different this part of NYC was from the rest of it. He often forgot he was still in the city. His family had moved there from Brooklyn before Rebecca had finished high school, but she stayed once she did because she loved it so much. Steve had only been there a few times in the years he'd known Bucky, but he loved the place just the same.

It was a two-story, four bedroom brick home, on the small side but definitely bigger than anything you'd find inner city, and it actually had a yard. There were fairy lights decorating the house and the bare branches on a few of the trees in the yard, which Bucky had no doubt that they would look amazing when lit up. His parents weren't big on novelty decorations, but they didn't skimp out on the lights.

Rebecca parked on the street out the front, popping the trunk so Steve and Bucky could grab their bags. Now that they were there, both started to feel a little nervous. How would Winifred and George react? They loved Steve, of course, and they weren't conservative parents by any means... But still, would they approve of the fact that Steve and Bucky already lived together? Moving in was usually a big deal for couples, but as far as they knew, Steve and Bucky completely skipped that step.

Only one way to find out.

Rebecca pushed open the front door, which was decorated with a festive wreath, and held it open for Steve and Bucky.

"Mom! Dad!" She called out. "We're here!"

"Coming!" Winifred called back, appearing around a corner from where the kitchen was, George right behind her.

"Hey ma," Bucky said, bringing her in for a giant hug. He pecked her cheek when he broke the embrace. "I heard you were making pulled pork sandwiches?"

"I am, but that can wait." She turned to Steve, who'd just been shaking George's hand. "Steve! I didn't know you were coming, but it's so good to see you. How've you been?"

He accepted her hug with a large smile. "I've been good. What about you, Winnie?" He'd taken to calling her that after she'd gotten offended when he first called her Mrs Barnes.

"I've been wonderful," she beamed up at him, before rounding on Bucky again. "But where's this boy of yours? Becks said you had a boyfriend you'd be bringing to meet us."

Bucky couldn't keep the grin off his face. "You just hugged him, ma."

George just raised an eyebrow, while Winifred turned back to Steve with wide eyes and examined him from head to toe, making him blush, before a pleased smile appeared on her face. "Well, it's about damn time. Now come in and drop your bags by the stairs. We'll have lunch first, then you can both get settled in."

"Sounds good to us."

They did as she said before heading to the dining room, where lunch was already set out and waiting, and immediately dug in. Winifred definitely seemed to approve of their relationship, if the way she kept glancing at them with a happy sparkle in her eyes was anything to go by.

"So, Steve," George started, taking a sip of his drink. "Last time James was here he was telling us that you'd started working for Tony Stark. How's that going for you?"

Steve smiled politely. "Really good, actually. It's fun and it pays well."

"What exactly is it you do?" Winifred asked.

"I'm a graphic designer, mostly working with an advertising team, but sometimes working with Tony himself on designs."

"Oh, that's fantastic!"

Tony Stark owned a tech company that rivaled that of Apple and Microsoft. It was known for its phones and computers, but had started branching out into medical technology and robotics as well. His products weren't cheap, but they were top of the line and well sought after. Steve couldn't believe his luck when he applied for a job there. Natasha had convinced him to, though he hadn't believed they'd even give his application a second glance. But now he'd been there for almost a year, and was at the stage where he could call Tony his acquaintance, not just his boss.

* * *

When lunch was over, Steve and Bucky grabbed their bags and headed up to one of the two spare rooms. It was basically Bucky's bedroom, seeing as it was the same one he'd been staying in when he visited for the last however many years since they moved there. His personal touches were everywhere, from the bedspread identical to his one at home, to the framed photos of him, Natasha, and Clint as teens, and the few books he kept on his bedside table for his longer stays.

While Steve had been to the house before, he'd never stayed the night, and had never actually been in Bucky's unofficial room before. So as soon as he dropped his bag beside the bed, he went and looked at all the photos on the wall.

"Did Nat ever go through an awkward phase?" He questioned, eyes narrowed at a photo where her hair was smooth and her skin was clear. "Or was she just born perfect?"

Bucky laughed, going to see which picture he was looking at. "Born perfect. I've known her since preschool and can honestly say she never even had a runny nose."

Steve scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Of course she didn't." He went and sat on the bed, hoisting his bag up beside him and unpacking the Christmas presents from it.

"Hey," Bucky said, going and sitting beside him. "Thank you so much for doing this. Really."

"Like I said, it's no problem."

"Can I repay you somehow anyway?"

"You don't need to," Steve told him, glancing over to look him in the eye. "Not only did you save me from some party that Tony's throwing tomorrow night, but you've also given me the chance to have Christmas with a family. Not _my_ family, but yours is the next best thing."

"You also get to kiss me all week." Bucky pointed out with a smirk.

Steve laughed. "Yeah, that too. Definitely a bonus."

"But seriously, I wanna say thank you." Bucky absently licked his lips as he thought of a way to repay Steve. "How about we split the bet money? $100 each."

"What'll you do if I say no?"

"Keep pestering you until you give in."

"Then I'll think about."

"Good enough," Bucky shrugged. He went and got the presents out of his bag as well. "Come on, let's go put these under the tree."

They headed back downstairs, each with an armful of presents, and headed for the Christmas tree in the sitting room. It was huge - taller than Steve's 6'2 frame - with an assortment of red, green, white and gold ornaments, not to mention the strings of rainbow fairy lights and candy canes dangling from every other branch. A few of the baubles lit up, as well as the large gold star on top of the tree. No tinsel, but that's because Winifred and George had used it elsewhere. Red and green tinsel was wound around the banister on the staircase, outlined all the windows, and decorated the fireplace mantel.

There were already several presents under the tree in varying shapes and sizes, but Steve and Bucky managed to squeeze their own gifts in any gap they could find. Then Bucky snagged one of the candy canes from the tree, unwrapping it and popping the end in his mouth.

"Save those for later!" Winifred chastised him with a shake of her head.

"Sorry ma," he apologized, not sounding like he meant it at all.

"No you're not. But I came to tell you that Polar Express is on TV. It just started, so Becks got some eggnog and asked me to get you both."

"I hate that movie." Bucky pulled a face.

Winifred narrowed her eyes. "It's Christmas, James! Spend some time with your sister, please."

"Fine," Bucky grumbled, taking Steve's hand and dragging him to the lounge room. "But I'm doing it for the eggnog."

"Whatever it takes."

They found their drinks waiting on the coffee table, and after thanking Rebecca, they got comfortable on the loveseat with Steve's arm resting around Bucky's shoulders, and Bucky snuggling into Steve's side. Every time he wanted to make a sarcastic remark about the film, Bucky would silence himself and drink his eggnog instead. But by the time they were only halfway through the movie, he'd finished both his and Steve's drinks off.

"I'm not a big fan of this movie either," Steve said, voice low as he grabbed a throw blanket off the back of the loveseat and wrapped it around the both of them.

Bucky grinned, turning to face his pretend boyfriend. "Let's do something fun then."

He shifted so he was half-sitting in Steve's lap, then began planting light kisses up his neck and jaw. Steve made a low noise in the back of his throat, tilting his face so he could catch Bucky's lips with his own. The kiss started out much like the one in the car, but the second Steve grazed his teeth against Bucky's lower lip then soothed it with his tongue, the mood shifted. Now Steve's tongue was in his mouth, brushing against his own rhythmically, and Bucky couldn't get enough. He shifted his body again, fully in Steve's lap, clutching at hist shirt with tight fists. Steve had one hand tangled in Bucky's hair, pulling on it lightly to get his mouth in a better position, while his other arm was wrapped around his waist.

"Holy shit, is that really necessary?" Rebecca complained from one of the armchairs, but they ignored her. She got up and left the room moments later.

This only spurred Steve and Bucky on, the kiss growing more and more heated with every second. They didn't have any plans to stop anytime soon, not until they heard someone clear their throat. Bucky was instantly on the couch beside Steve, dragging most of the blanket with him, and stared to where his dad stood in the doorway, wiping his wet mouth with the sleeve of his sweater.

"If you boys are done, dinner will be ready soon and your mother would like you to wash up."

"Sure, dad." Bucky nodded, trying to will back his embarrassment. At least George wasn't angry, and instead looked vaguely amused by the whole thing.

Steve's cheeks were red when Bucky turned back to him, so he grinned cheekily and kissed the tip of Steve's nose, then hauled him to his feet. They washed up in the bathroom downstairs, then headed to the dining room to help set up the dining table. Winifred had cooked the leftover pulled pork into a pie, and Bucky was definitely looking forward to it. Really, he looked forward to anything his mom made, especially if it involved the slow cooker.

They were bombarded with questions about their relationship during dinner, which meant they finally got to tell the story they'd made up, and thankfully the Barnes family seemed to eat it right up. Winifred and Becca left after that, grabbing a bottle of wine and heading to the lounge room to watch the new season of Gilmore Girls. Steve and Bucky had a few beers with George in the sitting room for the remainder of the evening. He was curious about Tony Stark, so Steve filled him in on enough gossip to tide the man over.

"Alright, I think it's time I hit the hay," George said when it was nearing ten, throwing a halfhearted wave over his shoulder as he left. "Night boys."

Bucky stood up and stretched, glancing down at Steve. "How the fuck am I so tired when I've been so lazy all day?"

"No idea, but I'm feelin' it too." Steve yawned, getting up as well and throwing an arm around Bucky's shoulder.

They headed to their temporary room and quickly got changed into their pajamas, then fell into bed. The two of them had gotten changed in front of each other enough times that they didn't care about modesty, which really made the whole ruse just that much easier. They'd shared a bed many times as well, usually after getting drunk at house parties. Why sleep on the floor, or even the couch, when there was a perfectly good bed that could fit more than one person? Bucky's bed here was quite large as well, and would easily be able to fit a couple of grown men.

"Just lettin' you know that I'm a cuddler," Bucky mumbled, body resting on the side.

"I know already," Steve chuckled, then wrapped his arm around Bucky's waist and pulled his back against his chest. "I am too."

Bucky smiled at the warmth of the embrace. "Mm, good." He definitely liked being the little spoon as well.

"G'Night Buck."

"Night Stevie."

* * *

 _A/N: I chose for Bucky's family to live in the Bronx at random, and when looking at neighborhoods, North Riverdale stood out to me. Never been there, so I've used pictures found online as a guide._ _I also basically bullshitted Steve's job, so if it doesn't sound right, that's why._


	3. The Park

_Thank you all for the feedback! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)_

* * *

 **3\. The Park**

The door creaked open, then there was a sigh, before, "C'mon, boys, get your asses out of bed."

"Go 'way, ma," Bucky slurred, groaning into his pillow. His pillow that was warm and firm and had a pulse, of all things. He blearily opened his eyes and saw that he'd moved around in his sleep and was now laying his head against Steve's chest, with Steve's arms still wound around his torso and holding him in place.

Winifred sighed again, leaning against the doorframe. "I'm about to make breakfast."

That got Steve's sleepy attention. He blinked his eyes open and glanced over to Winifred. "What're ya making?"

"Pancakes," was all she said, before turning and disappearing down the hallway.

That was all Bucky needed to hear to get him out of bed. "Don't wait up."

"No, not yet." Steve tightened his arms around Bucky, burying his face in his hair.

Bucky fought against him. "But Steve, _pancakes_!" He twisted and nudged until he was finally free of the embrace.

"Fine, go," Steve pouted, rolling over onto his stomach. "I'll be down in five."

And then Bucky was gone, leaving Steve feeling cold where his body had just been. He stretched out on the bed, letting the faint trace of morning light through the curtains wash over him. The prospect of food did sound good, but going back to sleep for a little bit longer was also tempting. Except, if he did, Bucky would just come barging back in and wake him up again. Yeah, he'd just lay down for a few more minutes, then head downstairs for breakfast. That was a good plan.

Bucky may have loved it when his mom made meals with the slow cooker, but nothing could compare to her pancakes. If he had to choose a favorite food, he'd say this would be it. So he breathed in deeply as his mum made them, enjoying the familiar scent, and poured himself a coffee. A flash of white outside caught his eye.

"Did it snow last night?"

"Just a little this morning," Winifred explained, pouring the last of the pancake batter into the pan. "But it'll probably be gone by midday."

"Shame."

Bucky liked the snow and the cold; it meant he got to wear warm sweaters and coats, drink hot chocolate, and snuggle with someone to chase away the chill. Steve was definitely a summer person, but he was also a snuggler in winter because he dreaded the cold so much. Bucky liked that about him, especially during cold nights in their apartment when they were watching movies and sharing a blanket, and also because Steve seemed to run a little warmer than everyone else.

Winifred finished cooking the last pancake, then turned to lean against the counter with a small smile. "So..."

"So... what?" Bucky quirked an eyebrow, resting his mug on the bench.

"You and Steve," she said simply, as if that explained everything. "I won't lie. I've been hoping you'd date that boy ever since I found out he liked men too."

Had she really? Despite how close they were, Bucky had never actually thought about dating his best friend before, neither had it ever occurred to him that somebody else had thought about it _for_ him. "Is that so?"

"It is. Do you love him?"

"Yeah, I think I do," Bucky pretended to admit, having wondered when this question was going to come up. "But, uh, I haven't told him yet... And he hasn't told me if he does either."

"Don't let that hold you back. One look at that boy and it's obvious he's head over heels."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "If you say so, ma."

Winifred just shook her head and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like _stupid boy_ under her breath.

Bucky went back to his coffee, watching his mom as she got out the syrup and cream for the pancakes. He asked if he could help, but she waved him and off and simply said he could help wash the dishes that night. So he continued standing around idly, waiting for her to finish, when only a minute later did a pair of strong arms wrap around his waist from behind.

"Got any coffee for me?" Steve asked, peppering kisses up and down the side of Bucky's neck.

"Maybe," Bucky smiled, then turned his head so he could give Steve a kiss. "Let me get you a cup."

After breakfast and a shower each, they were feeling lazy and decided to relax on the couch, Bucky's head in Steve's lap. Some Hallmark Christmas movie was playing, but they ignored it, instead opting to texts their friends back in Brooklyn. Natasha and Sam had dragged Clint out to do some last-minute Christmas shopping, seeing as he'd left it almost too late yet again, and were documenting every sarcastic remark and complaint he made. Then Winifred and Rebecca announced they were going to get some groceries, so Steve and Bucky decided to tag along, just as something to do that'd get them out of the house.

* * *

When they'd finished grocery shopping, they ordered Chinese takeout for lunch at Rebecca's request. Steve had bought himself and Bucky some gaudy green baseball caps with red pompoms on the top and elf ears on the side. They convinced Rebecca take some photos, her only condition being they both had to pick one of the photos to post on instagram. Natasha was, of course, the first person to see those photos.

 **Nat (1:26pm):** _You two are SO cute_

The text seemed innocent enough, especially if Rebecca or Winifred were to see it, but Steve and Bucky knew they were in for a world of teasing when they got home. And hell, they figured they might as well give her something worthwhile to tease them about, so they sent her the type of picture that everyone hated: the couple kissing photo. She replied with a winky face.

Yeah, they were definitely gonna regret it.

At home, Bucky helped put away the groceries while Steve talked to his dad in private. He was a little nervous about why. George seemed to approve of the relationship, but had Bucky misinterpreted all of his amused glances? Was he acting that way because he somehow knew they were faking it, and was ready to call out on it? Maybe he thought Steve was faking it while Bucky wasn't, and wanted to talk to him about hurting his son. Maybe he thought the opposite, and felt bad enough to warn Steve about getting too attached to Bucky. Maybe, just maybe...

Bucky cut himself off mid-thought, rubbing slow circles into his temples. All of these thoughts were going to give him a headache, and he all but leaped on Steve when the talk was apparently over.

"Let's go for a walk," he suggested quickly, needing some fresh air before he freaked the fuck out.

Steve raised an eyebrow, but let himself be walked out the front door. "Sure. I wanna see more of the neighborhood anyway. It doesn't even feel like we're in the city anymore."

"That's what I always think whenever I'm here." Bucky laughed, wrapping his arm around Steve's waist. He was wearing a thick coat and a scarf over his favorite knit sweater, but it was still quite chilly outside and he wanted all the warmth he could get.

Steve didn't seem to mind, wrapping his arm around Bucky's shoulder and holding him close. They walked in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the scenery. Winifred had been right. The snow had melted already, but the landscape was still icy, sparkling in the sunlight when it peaked between the clouds. The air was cold in their lungs, but smelled cleaner than it did in Brooklyn. They ended up at Vinmont Veteran Park and laid down side-by-side on the empty playground. It was completely deserted despite the time of day, but they figured it was due to the not-so-great weather.

"What'd my dad wanna talk to you about? Bucky asked carefully, after a few more minutes of silence. He knew ignorance was bliss, but he also just _had_ to know, and better get it out of the way now while he had Steve alone.

"Probably the same thing he'd wanna discuss with a guy that was dating Becca." Steve said, turning to Bucky with a wide grin. "Said he approved of me, but if I broke your heart, then it wouldn't be pretty."

"Oh, my God, I'm so sorry you had to go through with that."

Steve chuckled. "Nah, it's fine. I understand where he's coming from."

"I'm just glad my parents are okay with us dating," Bucky mused. "This morning mom told me that she's been wanting us to get together for ages."

Steve looked surprised for a moment or two, before his eyebrows pulled together as he thought of something. "Wait, you remember when I introduced you to Sam?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well," Steve paused, the faintest hint of pink coloring his cheeks. "He thought I was going to introduce you as my boyfriend, and was shocked when he learned that we were just friends."

Bucky sat up quickly, looking down at Steve as he continued to blush. "Really?"

"Mhmm."

They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter, Bucky collapsing on Steve's chest as he struggled for breath, clutching at the collar of his jacket.

"Shit. Everyone's thought about us dating except for _us_."

"I know," Steve agreed, wrapping his arms around Bucky without even thinking. "It's so weird."

Bucky relaxed on Steve, listening to his steady breathing and enjoying his body's natural warmth, while clouds passed across the sun and darkened the sky. All at once it started to rain, ruining the little moment they were having. It was only light, but considering the time of year, the droplets were ice cold.

"Fuck, let's head back." Bucky helped Steve to his feet, before huddling together and rushing home. They weren't quite drenched by the time they got back, but they were still quite wet, laughing and shaking their dripping hair at Rebecca just to see her squeal and run away, before heading to their room to get changed into dry clothes.

Steve was changing into sweatpants, which just so happened to be Bucky's. "Can I wear these?"

"Sure," Bucky smiled, a strange spike of pleasure shooting through his body at the sight of Steve wearing his clothes. It wasn't something they'd ever really done before. "But only if I can wear your blue sweater."

"Deal." Steve grinned as he chucked the sweater at him and continue getting dressed.

After dinner, Steve helped Bucky wash the dishes. Back at their apartment, they didn't usually have so much to wash between them, but all the same, they didn't mind doing the dishes for Bucky's family. Steve scooped up a handful of soap bubbles, then smeared them across Bucky's face.

"Oh, you're on!" Bucky laughed, scooping up his own handful and trying to smush it in his face.

Steve dodged around, only to get a mouthful of the bubbles once he let his guard down. In retaliation, he threw the wet sponge at Bucky, hitting him square in the chest and letting out a wet spray of dishwater. Bucky actually shrieked and threw it back, starting a sponge war between them. Winifred eventually sent Rebecca to break them up, and they finished the washing the dishes with barely contained laughter.

When they were done, George got out their old Grinch DVD and insisted on watching it, not that Bucky was complaining - it'd been his favorite Christmas movie while growing up. Winifred made everyone hot chocolate, and with the muffled sound of the rain outside, a nostalgic movie playing, and Steve cuddling him close, Bucky had never felt more content. Steve, too, seemed no less than satisfied with their current situation, and took to playing with Bucky's hair once he'd finished his drink.

Much like before, they went to sleep in each other's arms that night.


	4. The Change

_A/N: Things start to heat up this chapter ;) The rating has gone up to M to reflect this! Please also note that there is a tiny bit of homophobic behavior in this chapter. It's not verbal and gets shut down pretty quickly, but it's there._

 _Also, sorry for not updating last week. Real life got crazy, but it's definitely back to normal now._

* * *

 **4\. The Change**

When Bucky woke up the next morning, his face was only a couple of inches away from Steve's, rather than having his head lying on his chest. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, taking in the sight of his best friend sleeping. Bucky had never really paid attention to the way Steve looked when he slept, and was suddenly struck by how young he looked. He knew his friend had been skinny when he was younger, from stories and old photos, but it seemed kind of unbelievable until then. Steve had a softness about him as he dozed, and even though he was still big and strong, Bucky could also see a fragility within him that gave him the inexplicable desire to hold Steve close and never let go.

And then Steve blinked awake as well, a slow smile spreading across his face when he saw that Bucky was watching him.

"Hey sleepyhead," Bucky said, voice still a little thick with sleep. He inched closer, until his nose was brushing against Steve's in an Eskimo kiss.

Which was apparently not good enough. Steve closed the distance between their mouths and gave Bucky a slow morning kiss.

"Not so sleepy anymore," he laughed once he pulled away.

Bucky grinned and rolled his eyes, pressing another quick kiss to his lips. "Now this is a good way to start the day."

"I wholeheartedly agree."

They moved to kiss again when Steve's stomach gave a loud rumble, interrupting their moment.

"Hungry?" Bucky teased.

Steve threw his head back with a groan. "Yeah... But I don't wanna get out of bed just yet."

His stomach rumbled again, which made Bucky smirk at him. "Looks like you're not getting much of a choice in the matter."

It was far colder once they'd left the warmth of the bed, so Bucky and Steve threw some hoodies on over their pajamas and headed downstairs. They were up a little earlier than the morning before, Winifred only just getting the ingredients for breakfast out of the fridge and pantry. She accepted their help, and they ended up cooking bacon and eggs while sipping their coffees, Winifred sitting back and relaxing for a little while before she went to wake up her husband and daughter.

* * *

After another lazy morning spent watching D-grade Christmas movies and listening to Buble, Rebecca insisted on taking Steve and Bucky to the Bronx Burger House for lunch. Bucky had been there a few times before with her, but it was Steve's first time, and he spent far too long looking at the menu. Bucky ended up choosing something for him, much to Rebecca's amusement.

"What's next? Is Bucky gonna choose your clothes for you as well?" She joked, making Steve blush brightly.

"Don't you recognize the jacket he's wearing?" Bucky grinned and slung his arm over Steve's shoulder, pulling him in close. "It's the only one I had that was big enough to fit across his damn shoulders."

It was true. None of Steve's jackets had matched his outfit, and he asked if Bucky had one that would. Problem was that, despite being a similar size, Steve's shoulders were so wide he usually had to wear larger shirts. Fortunately, Bucky had a jacket that could fit him _and_ match the outfit.

Rebecca looked closer at the jacket, recognition flashing in her eyes a moment later. "Yeah, I remember you wearing it a lot last Christmas." She turned to Steve with a sly grin. "I'm surprised it fits your dorito body."

"My what?" Steve asked, eyebrows shooting up towards his hairline.

Bucky laughed. "Your dorito body, you know, like the corn chip?"

Rebecca nodded. "Yeah, you have the shoulder-to-waist ratio of one."

Steve's eyebrows had yet to return to their normal position. "Is this something you two have discussed?"

"Yes." They replied simultaneously.

"I actually had a long discussion with Natasha about it when we first met." Bucky added, absently glancing towards the kitchen to see if the waitress was ready with his food.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. I've decided that your dorito body is something that both turns me on and makes me incredibly jealous."

"Turns you on, does it?" Steve grinned slowly, a strange glint in his eyes, before pulling Bucky into a hard but brief kiss.

"None of that please," Rebecca groaned, but when she averted her eyes to over their shoulders, they suddenly narrowed. She leaned sideways to get a better view of whatever had caught her attention. "You got a problem?"

Steve and Bucky turned around at the same time to see a middle-aged man giving them all a dirty look. His meal was already finished, so he balled up his napkin, threw some money on the table, then left.

"Good riddance," Rebecca snarled once he was gone. "I may give you two a lot of shit for kissing and whatever, but I really do support you both. I'm glad you two have each other."

"Thanks, Becca," Bucky replied. He really meant it, but a small part of him suddenly felt bad that he and Steve were faking the whole thing.

Maybe he just should've lost fair and square. Sure, he didn't really have the $200 for her anyway, but he could've given it to her as soon as he did. And maybe blonde hair wouldn't be so bad. Or maybe it would. Bucky briefly entertained the whole idea of coming clean to Rebecca and his parents, but there were a couple of things stopping him. First and foremost, his parents, especially his mom, would be upset that he had lied to them just so he could win a stupid bet. They'd not only given Steve their blessing, but they were also really glad that he was Bucky's boyfriend. Actually, worse than upset, they'd be _disappointed_. Nothing could be worse.

But the other thing that was stopping him from coming clean? The fact that he enjoyed pretending to be Steve's boyfriend so much. He enjoyed cuddling him, and kissing him. He enjoyed going to bed with Steve, and he enjoyed waking up with Steve. He enjoyed that they shared each other's clothes. He simply _enjoyed_ everything about Steve, which was why they were best friends in the first place.

So no, Bucky would not come clean, even if he did feel a little bad.

* * *

Later that evening, after they'd had dinner and Bucky's parents had gone to bed, he was sitting in the backyard with Steve and Rebecca. There were Christmas lights on the back of the house as well, though not as many, but it was enough for them to see by. Steve and Bucky were huddling close under a blanket on one of the lawn chairs, while Rebecca had one to herself. It was beautiful out there at night, especially with the added Christmas lights, but it was also freezing, so to fight off the cold they were drinking hot chocolate that Bucky had spiked with Baileys.

"What did your friends say when you told them you guys were a thing?" Rebecca asked, sipping at her still-steaming mug. She was rugged up in a beanie and gloves, along with a huge jacket and blanket too.

Bucky shrugged lightly, trying not the jostle Steve too much. "I don't know. They were happy, I guess."

"Just happy?" Rebecca raised an eyebrow, obviously believing there was more to the story. "Were they shocked? Or did they see it coming?"

"Sam probably saw it coming," Steve said, giving Bucky a knowing glance. "Not sure about the others."

"They've just been teasing us a lot." Bucky added, finishing off his hot chocolate and placing the mug on the ground beside him.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Why? Just because you two were friends before this?"

"Well, yeah." Bucky laughed. "When Nat and Clint got together when we were seniors, I was an asshole and wouldn't stop teasing them about it. I guess it's payback."

"That _was_ an asshole thing to do," Steve agreed.

Bucky glared up at him. "Punk."

"Jerk."

"Are you two done?" Rebecca sighed, getting up from her chair. At their nods, she pointed to the mugs. "And with your drinks?"

"Oh, yeah." Steve glanced down at his empty mug, and handed it to Rebecca when she held out her hand for it. She took Bucky's as well, then headed for the house.

"It's too cold for me out here. I'm going to bed."

They said goodnight then went silent, simply content to sit and cuddle. That is, they were content to do that until both started shivering from the ever increasing cold.

"Let's head inside." Steve suggested.

Bucky nodded. "Yeah. But I'm not ready to go to bed yet."

"Neither. Fireplace?"

"Fireplace."

They discarded their shoes and coats by the backdoor once they were inside, and headed to the sitting room, where they found that the fire was still burning. Bucky chucked another log in and stoked it, while Steve claimed the nearest armchair. He grabbed at Bucky when he was done, and pulled him onto his lap.

"I don't have the blanket anymore, so you've gotta keep me warm." Steve told him with a smirk, winding his arms around Bucky's waist.

Bucky smirked back, a playful glint in his eyes. "I think I can do that." Then he ducked his head down and kissed him.

It was slow like almost all their other kisses, but far more intense, soon heating up as they pressed against each other. Bucky carded his fingers through Steve's hair as their tongues slid together, rolling his hips into Steve's without thinking. Steve moaned, tilting his head to the side and deepening the kiss further. He clutched at Bucky's hips like he was holding on for dear life. And then it was if a switched had been flicked and something clicked into place within Bucky. He pulled back for a moment to stare at Steve's face, grinning when Steve whimpered at the loss of his lips and tried to chase them.

Bucky said nothing, but kept looking at at his best friend. Saw the lust and the fondness that he too felt, and the confusion at why Bucky had pulled away just to stare at him. Steve's fingers dipped under his sweater to rub slow circles into his skin. Bucky ground his hips down hard, watching as Steve's eyes flickered closed for a moment and his mouth fell open. Bucky licked into it, and they resumed kissing and grinding their hips together.

There was nobody to pretend for at that moment. Just two friends who were losing themselves to passion and desire for one another. Neither of them could tell anyone why this was happening. Despite how close they were, they'd been platonic for as long as they'd known each other, but since the kissing started, something had shifted. A new dynamic. Being together like that felt good.

More importantly, it felt _right_.

Soon enough, Bucky's sweater was on the floor beside them and Steve's hands were exploring his bare torso. When they traveled low, towards the hem of his jeans, Bucky growled low in his throat and tugged at Steve's shirt, who pulled away long enough for Bucky to pull it off. Steve claimed his lips again, wrapping one arm around Bucky's shoulders and the other around his waist.

These kisses were unhurried, simply happy to taste and feel each other. But if anything, it turned Bucky on more than ever, and he couldn't stop his growing arousal. He pressed harder into Steve's body, hips and chest flush, their erections pressing against each other. Steve's breath hitched and Bucky moaned, circling his hips on instinct.

"We should go to the bedroom," Steve suggest a moment later, lips red and slick and sounding a little breathless.

Bucky nodded quickly. "Yes, definitely."

They hopped off the armchair, with Steve pulling Bucky in for another hungry kiss before Bucky broke it off. He bent down to pick their shirts up off the ground, then they headed upstairs to the bedroom without any more interruptions.

Once the door was firmly closed behind them, Steve claimed Bucky's lips again, kissing him with all that he had. Because something had clicked into place for Steve too, when Bucky had been staring down at him as if he was the only thing that mattered. The only thing that existed. He backed Bucky towards the bed, both of them falling into it with Steve on top. He braced himself over Bucky, one hand traveling down to the button of his jeans. He paused there.

"Don't stop," Bucky all but begged, the neediness in his voice spurring Steve on. He undid his jeans and pushed them down, letting Bucky remove them and his underwear completely while Steve removed his own.

Once they were both naked, they paused, drinking the sight of each other. They'd shared a bed many times, and they'd gotten changed in front of each other many times, but Steve couldn't recall a time when he'd actually seen Bucky naked. And if Bucky thought he might've once, it definitely wasn't while Steve was hard. Hard for _him_.

"Come 'ere."

He dragged Steve down and left wet kisses along his jaw, then rolled his hips up, brushing his erection against Steve's. Steve groaned, mimicking the action, before taking over. He ground down against Bucky, sucking at the skin of his neck, knowing he was going to leave a mark but not caring. Bucky didn't seem to care either, by the sounds he was making, and with the way he was clutching at Steve's shoulders so tightly, he knew he'd have marks too. Steve pulled back a little, keeping his face close to stare at Bucky while their cocks slid together, a little slick with precome. He sped up his pace as he watched Bucky, reveling in the way Bucky gasped and moaned but still remained eye contact.

Bucky came first, biting down on his lips to muffle his cry as his orgasm washed over him. Steve slowed down for a moment, reaching his hand down to stroke him through it. Seeing Bucky fall apart like that, just from the slide of his dick over his own, brought Steve close to the edge. Once Bucky came back to himself, he seemed to realize this, and quickly started stroking at Steve's cock too. He didn't take long to reach his climax after that, falling on top of Bucky afterwards, not caring that their stomachs were sticky with a mess of come.

They laid like that for a few moments, Bucky idly drawing circles onto Steve's back and sighing.

"We should get cleaned up."

Steve grinned into Bucky's shoulder. "Good idea."

He rolled to the side, letting Bucky quickly climb off the bed. He grabbed the closest thing he could find, which just happened to be a shirt, and used it to wipe up the mess from their stomachs. Once done, he threw it on top of the pile of dirty clothes they'd amassed in the few days they'd been there. He figured it was about time they did some laundry anyway.

"How're you feelin'?" Steve asked once Bucky was back in bed. They instantly curled around each other like every other night.

"Amazing." Bucky smiled up at Steve, leaning forward to kiss him. "I don't know what this is, Steve, but I like it. A lot."

"Me too," Steve agreed, snuggling closer. "It feels good with you."

"I don't want to stop doing this when we get back home." Bucky admitted.

Steve felt a swell of happiness in his chest. "Neither do I." Even after what they just did, he still had it in him to blush.

"Good." Bucky grinned.

They kissed again, and again, and again, until they eventually fell asleep in the embrace.

* * *

 _A/N: The Bronx Burger House is real, but I've never been there and any inaccuracies are entirely my fault. Like, do you pay before or after your meal there? Is leaving money on the table to pay for a meal normal? I see it in movies a lot lmao_


	5. The Declaration

_A/N: Whoooaaa I am so sorry for yet another (really) late update! That's what happens when I decided to enter 3 Big Bang challenges... But hey, we are now over halfway through the story! Thank you all so much for the amazing response to this fic I've got a feeling a lot of you will like this chapter... Warning: It's very NSFW_

* * *

 **5: The Declaration**

It was a cloudy, wet morning that Christmas Eve, so everyone spent their time just idling about the house. Winifred was in the sitting room with the fire going, Buble on in the background while she read an old novel. George was watching some reruns of an old show while Rebecca, Bucky, and Steve were building a gingerbread house at the dining table. Steve, being the artist he was, took it upon himself to decorate all the pieces. He wouldn't let Rebecca or Bucky help with it, insisting that he could manage, which was really his polite way of saying they had no artistic ability whatsoever and would fuck it up. So the two siblings helped put the pieces together instead.

"You two seem different this morning," Rebecca noted casually, focusing on keeping two of the walls together.

Steve and Bucky's gazes immediately snapped to each other, wondering what she was talking about. It wasn't like she knew exactly what had changed between them yesterday. Or knew what they'd done that night.

They'd woken up twisted around one another like usual, but that time they were naked. Neither had had morning wood, to Bucky's dismay, but Steve had been keen on fixing that problem when he'd drawn Bucky in for a searing kiss. And then George had knocked on their door, letting them know that they'd slept in and breakfast was ready.

"Different how?" Steve finally asked, when it seemed Bucky wouldn't.

Rebecca looked up at them, fighting back a smirk. "It looked like you were both having trouble keeping your hands off each other, for a start."

"Breakfast got in the way of some plans," Bucky shrugged, grinning at Steve's blush.

"Ew, please spare the details."

"Don't worry, if Bucky tries to tell you about our sex life," Steve started, mock-glaring at Bucky, "then he'll definitely regret it later."

"What, you gonna blue ball me?"

"Let's hope you don't find out."

"Oh, my God," Rebecca cringed. She waved her hands around frantically. "Please stop. That's enough details as is."

"Sorry," they both apologized, though they didn't hide their amusement at her obvious discomfort.

But their little chat made Bucky think about that morning... and the night before. Now all he could think about was how good Steve's body had felt on his. His lips, his hands, his cock. Okay, Bucky needed to stop those thoughts before he got a boner in front of his sister. That'd be gross _and_ embarrassing. But then he looked over to Steve, just a glance, and saw that he too seemed to be struggling. They locked eyes, and some sort of understanding passed between them.

They had to get each other alone as fast as possible.

"We're almost done," Rebecca announced not a moment too soon.

She was right, but the last five minutes they spent putting the gingerbread house together felt like an eternity to Steve and Bucky. For once, they had to hold back from touching each other, knowing it would be too hard not to give in once they did. At least they were able to get each other alone in no time at all.

The second their bedroom door was closed, Bucky pushed Steve up against the wall next to it, removing both of their shirts before kissing him roughly, unbridled lust flowing between them. He pressed their chests together, needing to feel the skin-to-skin contact, needing to feel as close to Steve as possible. Their hips rocked together absently as they kissed, both growing hard with each passing moment, but it wasn't enough for Bucky. He needed more.

Bucky slid his hands down to Steve's jeans, slowly popping the button and dragging down the zip. Steve's breath hitched, but he only kissed Bucky harder, urging him on. So Bucky pulled both Steve's jeans and boxer briefs down at once, bunching them mid-thigh, then took hold of Steve's cock, stroking it slowly.

"What do you want?" Bucky asked, voice breathy as he broke the kiss.

Steve looked dazed, focusing on Bucky with lust-glazed eyes. "You, Buck. I want you."

When Bucky smiled, Steve thought it was so pure and beautiful and it utterly consumed him. And when Bucky started kissing down his chest, slowly heading towards his cock, he couldn't believe it was actually happening. The night before felt like a dream to him, something too good to be real. But _this_? This was real and it was happening _right now_. He stared down at Bucky, watched as he nipped at the skin over each hipbone, soothing the bites with his tongue. Then he bypassed Steve's crotch completely, planting soft kisses on his thighs, sliding his pants and underwear a little further down his legs. Steve found himself having trouble paying attention to anything but how close Bucky's face was to his erection.

Then Bucky, still holding his cock, licked up the shaft with the flat of his tongue, then sucked the tip into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the head. Steve moaned, head hitting the wall as he closed his eyes and savored the feeling. But when Bucky began bobbing his head, swallowing Steve's cock almost to the root, he couldn't help but look down. Bucky was already looking up at him, the most sinfully gorgeous thing Steve had ever seen. The way Bucky's mouth stretched around his cock was almost overwhelming.

He'd had his dick sucked plenty of times before, by men and women alike, but none of them compared to Bucky.

Bucky seemed to know this, must've seen it in Steve's eyes, because he suddenly wanted to do nothing more than please him in any way that he could. He relaxed his throat and pushed his mouth further along, until his nose and lips were flush with Steve's torso. He swallowed around his length a few times, pulling a moan from Steve's throat, and when Bucky moaned back, he almost came just from that. He resumed his movements, letting Steve thrust a little as he bobbed his head.

"Bucky, Buck, I'm gonna come," Steve warned, gasping as Bucky swallowed him to the root again, humming around his cock.

He seemed spurred on, knowing how close Steve was, sliding back to focus on the head, circling his tongue around it. Steve came shortly after that, muffling a low moan with his hand as Bucky lapped the semen up. He used his hand to stroke Steve through it, licking away any come that he'd missed.

Steve was buzzing with pleasure, yanking Bucky up to meet his lips, not caring that his mouth had just been on his cock, or that he could still taste himself. Bucky kissed him back just as enthusiastically, and maybe desperately, reminding Steve that he had yet to be touched. He pulled back with a sly grin and fell to his knees, meeting Bucky's eyes as he took his time taking his pants off.

Bucky was more than ready for him to return the favor.

* * *

After briefly heading downstairs for lunch, Steve and Bucky escaped back to their room where they were simply relaxing in bed, content to cuddle each other close. It was still raining outside, the sound of it pattering against the window leaving them feeling cozy and warm in each other's arms.

Bucky turned to face Steve, pressing soft kisses into his jaw. Steve hummed happily, turning his head slightly to catch Bucky's lips.

"What are we?" He asked once they parted, running his thumb along Bucky's cheek.

He leaned into the touch, eyes fluttering closed. "What do you mean?"

"What are we, with everything we're doing?" Steve laughed, low chuckles vibrating in his chest. "I mean, are we dating for real, or what?"

Bucky thought it through for a moment, tongue darting out to wet his lips. "I think we get to skip that step."

"So we're together, then? You're my real boyfriend? No more faking."

"Yeah," Bucky smiled wide, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "No more faking for anyone."

"Mm, I like that." Steve grinned, leaning down to kiss Bucky again, sliding his hand down his chest.

He kissed him hard and fast, like he'd die if he didn't, and quickly slid his hand up Bucky's shirt to grope at his chest. Steve loved the feel of Bucky's skin, smooth and tight over hard muscles. They were both fit, working out most days of the week, and it made Steve wonder if Bucky liked his body as well. He thought of the guys he knew Bucky went for, the main things they had in common being blonde haired and a toned body. It had never occurred to Steve that _he_ was Bucky's type.

And, well, Bucky was definitely his. It didn't matter if they were a man or woman, as long as they had dark hair and were confident without arrogance, he was gonna be into them. Honestly, he didn't know why they'd never even considered dating before then. They were actually perfect for each other.

With that thought in mind, Steve slid his hand down to Bucky's jeans, wanting nothing more than to make him feel good again.

* * *

"Mistletoe!" Winifred almost shrieked, pointing over Steve and Bucky's heads as they entered the sitting room.

There, stuck to the wall above the doorway, was a sprig of mistletoe. Bucky rolled his eyes, but gave Steve a happy kiss. The sound of a photo being taken was what made them pull away, and they saw Winifred grinning almost manically.

"This is definitely going on facebook!" She grinned triumphantly, leaning over to show her husband the picture. "Isn't this the most adorable picture, George?"

"It is," George agreed, sending a wink to Steve and Bucky.

They found a seat on the floor by the fireplace, Steve pulling Bucky to sit between his legs, back to his chest. Bucky snuggled down, getting comfortable. Someone had changed the Buble Christmas album to the Mariah Carey one, but it was turned down low to be background music.

They chatted with Winifred, George, and Rebecca for a while, Winifred leaving at one point to get dinner out of the oven. During that time, Steve and Bucky migrated towards the couch, still in each other's arms, but now side by side. Bucky kept catching the blonde staring at him strangely, something fond in his expression but something else he couldn't put his finger on. He was determined to find out what it was, but he'd have to get him alone first.

After dinner, Rebecca insisted they watch Krampus, even though she hated horror movies. It had some actor that she liked from Parks and Recreation in it, and insisted she'd be fine because it was a _comedy_ horror. They ended up really enjoying it, though both Steve and Rebecca kept flinching at certain scenes. Bucky tried to be nice and not laugh at them, instead enjoying the fact that Steve got extra cuddly when he was on edge.

When the movie was over, Bucky basically dragged Steve to their room, plopping him down on the bed and crawling over him. He didn't kiss him, no, just stared into his eyes, looking for that expression he'd noticed earlier. The fondness was still there, but the other emotion was clouded by Steve's confusion.

Bucky pouted. "When I kept catching you looking at me, what were you thinking?"

"Why do you ask?" Steve evaded the question with one of his own, a slow smile spreading across his face. The little shit.

"You know why."

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. When he met Bucky's eyes again, they were warm, that other emotion he couldn't identify back again. "I think I'm in love with you, Buck."

Love. What Bucky was seeing was love. And it hit him, then, that he might be in love with Steve too. Shit. How had he never realized that before?

"Might be?" He teased, wanting to see the red bloom across Steve's cheeks.

He wasn't disappointed. "Okay, I'm certainly, definitely, _undeniably_ in love with you. Don't make me regret it."

"I promise I won't." Bucky couldn't stop from grinning ecstatically. "So what made you realize this?"

"I think I've always been in love with you, I just didn't know it." Steve admitted, wearing a grin to match Bucky's.

"God, me too," Bucky sighed happily, resting his forehead against Steve's.

Steve paused, eyes widening a fraction. "You love me too?"

"Yeah." Bucky nodded, nose bumping his. "I do."

"Say it."

"I love you, Steve. I love you so fucking much, and I think I have since the moment I met you."

The unadulterated joy in Steve's face was almost too much for Bucky to bear. "Shit, we're idiots, aren't we?"

"We are," Bucky laughed, dipping down to kiss him. "But hey, at least we figured it out in the end."

"It only took us, what? 7 years?"

"About that." Bucky shrugged one shoulder, kissing Steve again. They were sweet little kisses that conveyed all the love he felt. Love. He hadn't thought he'd been in love with Steve until then, but it was exactly the right way to describe how he felt. As Steve deepened the kisses, running his hands down Bucky's sides, he had an idea. "Wait here."

Before Steve could complain, Bucky hopped off the bed and darted out of the room. Steve was just about to ignore his request and go follow him, when Bucky returned, holding something behind his back. He hopped back on the bed, kneeling beside Steve's body.

"What's that?" Steve asked, inclining his head to Bucky's hidden hand.

Bucky just smirked, then raised his hand, which was holding the mistletoe from the sitting room, over his head. "I believe you have to kiss me."

"Not like we weren't just doing that," Steve rolled his eyes, but sat up and pulled him in for a deep kiss anyway.

When Bucky broke away, his cheeky smirk was back in full force, a playful glint in his eyes. Without a word, he brought the mistletoe down to rest just above his hips.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Classy."

"Come on, Stevie, you have to kiss me under the mistletoe."

So Steve did. He leaned forward and pressed a firm kiss to the front of Bucky's jeans, nose brushing against the leaves. "There you go."

"You're such a tease." Bucky shook his head, grinning as he tossed the mistletoe aside.

Steve pulled him in for a hug. "Come here, you jerk." He rolled them over so he was hovering over Bucky, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt.

"Punk."

Bucky wasted no time with getting his and Steve's clothes off, kissing him anywhere his lips could reach. Then Steve took charge, taking Bucky into his mouth, sucking his cock like it was his job. After a minute or so of bobbing up and down with Bucky's hand wrapped in his hair, he pulled off with an obscene noise.

"What do you want, Buck?" He asked, the same thing Bucky had asked him earlier in the day, licking along his shaft.

"I want-" Bucky broke off with a moan when Steve sucked back down, all the way to the root. "I want you to make love to me, Stevie."

Steve pulled off again. "You want me inside you?"

"Yeah," Bucky nodded.

Without any warning, Steve flipped Bucky over, lifting his ass in the air and palming at the cheeks. "This okay?"

Bucky let out a choked-off laugh. "God, Steve, this is _better_ than okay."

"Good." Steve pressed a kiss to his tailbone, then continued kissing down, until his lips were at Bucky's hole, using his tongue and fingers to prepare him. "I've gotta get a condom and the lube."

"You brought that shit with you?" Bucky questioned, trying to tease but just sounding a little winded.

Steve shrugged, rummaging through his bag. "I like to be prepared for anything."

"Same." Bucky writhed around on the bed when Steve left, missing his touch. "I take condoms literally everywhere."

"That'll come in handy," Steve said, climbing back onto the bed. "Hey, turn around. I wanna be able to see your face."

Bucky turned so he was on his back, watching as Steve slipped the condom on, squeezed some lube onto his fingers, and stroked it onto himself. He got into position, the head of his cock pressing lightly against his hole, circling around it. Bucky forced himself not to move his hips, instead distracting himself by pulling Steve down so he could slot their lips together.

He pulled back, staring in awe at Steve's eyes, pupils blown wide with love and lust. "I'm ready."

Steve nodded, looking right back at Bucky, mesmerized by the tiny ring of blue around his own blown pupils. He guided himself in slowly, taking his time, not wanting to hurt Bucky. He knew of his friend's - correction, _boyfriend's_ \- preference for being the bottom, and knew he liked it rough from the stories he'd been told, but all the same, Steve didn't want to rush this. He wanted to take his time. He wanted to learn Bucky's body, and for Bucky to learn his, for them to savor every moment.

Bucky moaned long and low when Steve bottomed out, making him bite his lip to hold in his own groan. Bucky was so tight around him, and so perfect, nose crinkling as they stared at each other. Steve pulled out a little, pushing back in slowly. He began a rhythm of shallow thrusts, one hand stroking Bucky's cock while the other held his face. They kissed slowly, indulging in each other's taste, the feel of their lips sliding together in synchronized harmony. Steve didn't speed up, but he pulled out more on every thrust, driving in deep, rolling his hips whenever he was fully seated inside.

"I love you so much," Bucky whispered against his lips, breathy little whimpers following his words.

Claiming his lips again, Steve shifted, lifting Bucky's hips higher so that he came into contact with his prostate on every thrust. "I love you, too."

He watched Bucky start to fall apart beneath him, gasping and whispering Steve's name like it was a prayer.

"I'm gonna come," Bucky warned, biting into Steve's shoulder to muffle a groan, head falling back a moment later. "Shit, Steve, I'm gonna come soon."

"Then let go. Come for me, Buck." Steve captured his lips again, stroking Bucky's cock faster now, twisting his wrist at the top and sliding his thumb along the slit.

Bucky came hard, moaning long and low as the orgasm rolled through him, Steve stroking him through it. The way he tensed and spasmed around Steve's cock brought him over the edge as well, and with one last deep thrust, he also found his release.

Still seated inside, Steve collapsed on top of Bucky, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling into his neck.

"That was amazing," Bucky murmured, lips close to Steve's ear.

Steve lifted his head, kissing Bucky again before dropping back down. " _You_ are amazing."

"And you're a sap." Bucky laughed. "Punk."

"Jerk."

"I love you."

"I love you more."

* * *

 _A/N: Well, that was fast... but also about damn time! They are now fully aware that they're Idiots in Love™_


End file.
